At the End of the Day
by Calie1
Summary: Eventually it's to much for her and she's falling apart, luckily Oliver arrives just in time to pick up the pieces. Spoilers for Persuasion. Post Persuasion.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Spoilers for Persuasion. This fic won't be very long. Only three chapters. Chapter two is almost complete and should be up in a day or so. I'm hoping to have it completed possibly by the end of the weekend. Thanks to Lucy for editing and the title! Please review, I need them. I've got a bunch of open projects for chlollie that I am working on and I need the review to get my butt in gear.

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Oliver walked in to what was normally a quiet and orderly watchtower. That wasn't what he saw. Every monitor was either off, blinking, or showing the tell tale sign of being disconnected – black and white snow. It didn't take him long to notice that equipment was no longer in its rightful place. Wires were strewn across the floor, computer equipment pulled out into the center of the floor. Chloe wasn't even in her usual spot sitting behind her desk or standing at the main monitor with her perfectly styled hair, minimal make up, and smart outfit. Instead she was kneeling underneath a desk, barefoot in only a shorts and t-shirt, her hair unkempt and pushed behind her ears.

"When you said the shit hit the fan while I was gone you weren't kidding."

She turned her head to face him and frowned before turning back to what she was doing.

"I'd offer my help, but I'm sure you would consider it useless considering you e-mailed me with a warning of a very large tech support bill."

"I'm trying to do some of the work on my own. Taking down watchtower is a lot easier then putting it back together. I could probably do it, but I'd be wasting time. I think we're going to need help. I spoke with Victor, he's coming in tomorrow. But I think I'm still going to need an expert."

The word expert was said with a little disgust leading Oliver to suspect she didn't like the idea of someone doing something better and faster then her. "See what you can do with Victor, but set something up now to have someone come in. You only gave me the cliff notes version in a hasty e-mail sent by phone. What happened?"

"I didn't have a computer."

"Care to come out of your digital cave and give me the full version now? If not because you think I deserve to know, then at least because I am footing the bill." She growled and crawled out from underneath one of the desks. She grabbed her back as she stood and hissed. He was about to question her about it when she turned around and he finally got a good look at her face. He'd seen her in the morning, a couple of times. Make up worn off, hair mussed from sleeping. He'd even seen her once out of the shower, hair dripping wet, body glistening with water, face clean and bright. It wasn't the same as the woman in front of him. Her face was flushed in a similar fashion to the times he'd been with her, but he could tell it was from frustration and anger and perhaps something else entirely. Whatever makeup she had applied was wearing away, smudged around her eyes. There was the beginning of dark circles appearing there, even though he'd only been gone two days and she had been totally rested when he left. Her eyes were red and he began to wonder if it was from lack of sleep or something else. Then there was the most shocking. "Is that a bruise on your cheek?"

Chloe brought her hand up, touching the area she knew he was referring to. "Yes." His eyes narrowed slightly. "It isn't that big of a deal. I mean it is. But not like you think."

"Well then why don't we sit and you tell me." He held out his hand to the sofa and she stared at it, contemplating. Finally she sighed and walked over. Even her stature reflected her weariness. After he took a seat and she still remained silent, seeming to be studying the disarray before her, he prodded. "Why don't you start from the beginning. Weird kryptonite making people do things you said?"

"Clark got infected. The result was that anything he said or better yet wished would happen. The first time was Lois. He made an off handed comment about their relationship. I don't know what, but then the next thing he knew she was quitting her job at the Planet and moving in with him, donning an apron and everything. It looked like she stepped straight out of a black and white TV."

"Really?" Oliver raised his eyebrows, forgetting about the mess surrounding them and trying to picture what she described.

"Yeah, that was where the funny stopped," Chloe said with a frown. "I gave Clark the new identities for the Kandorians. We argued about it, and he responded by wishing that I would look out for him more." She tapped her fingers on her knee nervously as she recalled her actions.

"So you pulled the plug?" He asked in confusion.

"Yeah. I mean it was like....being obsessed. This stuff didn't matter." Chloe held her hand out referring to the tower. "If it didn't pertain to helping Clark then it was gone. And whatever I didn't need I was sure to either wipe or put up so many damn firewalls it would take a miracle for another person to crack. It was like I set off a digital bomb. It isn't pretty." Chloe looked around at her equipment, the place that had become her life, and sighed. With a shake of her head she continued. "I went to the farm and tried to get Lois out; she was a distraction I felt at that time. It wasn't pretty. After almost trying to physically remove her, she took off crying. I-" She stopped, searching his eyes, hoping for some understanding. "I said some things that weren't nice." He didn't seem affected by her revelation, and she suspected he was trying to keep his reactions neutral for the time being. "From there I tried to hack into Tess' computers. Get what I need from her about the Kandorians. She caught me and tried to make a deal with me, telling me she believed Clark to be the leader of the Kandorians."

"Wait," he shook his head, forgetting about his shock at what happened with Lois, "she tried to make a deal with you?"

"Yeah, I don't know. I don't know if she's become disillusioned with Zod or maybe this was always her plan, but she seemed to think we could help each other." And if Chloe hadn't been so obsessed with protecting Clark she probably would have held out a little bit longer to try to figure out Tess' angle. "So I hit her."

"You hit her?" he asked slowly, trying to be sure he understood correctly. That didn't sound like the woman in front of him. Sure she was capable enough, not a push over, but she was more behind the scenes type, and even Tess could give Oliver a run for his money.

"Yeah," she admitted softly, biting the inside of her cheek. "With a gun." This time he did show his surprise. "And I probably would have shot her too if she hadn't kicked the gun out of my hand."

He lifted his hand, for the first time reacting in a way that was more appropriate for their current situation, and cupped her cheek. She blinked quickly and looked down at his hand, obviously uncomfortable. He didn't pay her any mind though as he gently tilted her head to the side to survey the damage. "Your cheek?"

"She packs a mean kick," Chloe admitted with seriousness.

"And then what happened? I can't imagine that was it."

"No, we went after the gun, went through a table. Pretty sure she punched me. Pushed her into the wall and broke a light with her head. All in a days work."

She smiled at her joke, but he could see the lack of humor behind it. Dropping his hand from her cheek he wondered where else she was bruised. When she was through he was going to ask.

"Anyway, she got the gun, and I'm pretty sure she was all ready to kill me until Clark came through. Turned out he'd ben affected by the kryptonite too. Zod told him that Tess killed Jor-El. Clark was about to kill her until I used green kryptonite on him, freeing him of all the wishing effects." Chloe shrugged and stood up, and made her way back towards were she left her work. "Turns out it wasn't Tess though. That murdering bitch Alia did it. Zod, for some reason, took this as a betrayal and put a bullet in her head."

"She's dead?" he asked in slight shock, remembering all Chloe's future that they had learned from Clark.

"Yeah." Chloe knelt down and winced at the pain in her back. "So I guess some things are changing."

"And the towers?"

"Not sure. I mean Clark destroyed them. I don't know if it was the impending operation of them, or the fact that he realized the future was finally changing, but he did it. So I suppos we've bought ourselves more time at least."

He watched her crawl on the ground and start working again. For a while that's all he did, watch her in silence. "Come here." She stopped, turning her head, seeming to be confused by his sudden order. Standing he walked over to her. "Stand up Chloe." Slowly she did, probably to confused to even say no. "Turn around."

"Wha-" But he was already grabbing her arm and turning her until her back was facing him. It wasn't until she felt his hands at her shirt that she reacted and tried to pull away. "Oliver, what-"

"I want to see." He grabbed her hip to still her. When she didn't move he lifted her shirt up to her shoulders. As he suspected she was bruised. The lower right half of her back almost black. What he hadn't expected was gauze taped below her shoulder blad. "What's this?"

She felt him brush over the wound and sighed. "That table that Tess and I went through. Well it tried to go through me. I had to get Emil to bandage me up."

He frowned in response to her words. Seeing the physical damage he could only guess how the rest of her body felt. "Chloe, you need to take it easy for a few days."

"Take it easy?" Chloe pulled away and looked at him in shock. "Are you serious? You see this mess. I screwed this up. I need to fix this. Plus I can't afford to just lay around, what if something happens, what if-"

"Then we'll call someone now. Victor will be here tomorrow. You aren't going to have all this stuff done by tonight anyway. So even if something does happen tonight, it doesn't matter." She shook her head and turned away from him, intent on turning back to her work. "Chloe," he grabbed her wrist, "I said no."

"So what!?" Chloe yelled and spun around on him, yanking her wrist from his loose grip. "I need to fix this! I don't have time to just sit around waiting to feel better! Why can't you understand that?! I just-" She stopped as she felt her voice thicken with emotion. As it all started to catch up with her again, she shook her head and turned away. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her upset.

He heard her voice crack, saw the tears forming. This time when he grabbed her wrist he did it with the intention of holding onto it. When he pulled her around he could see her eyes tearing. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She wiped her eyes angrily. "Just drop it. Let me do what I need to do."

He knew what she was trying to do. He got it. She wanted to bury herself in work so she could forget what was bothering her. It's what she always did. It was one of the reasons he had tried so hard to get her to loosen up. "Don't tell me nothing. I'm not letting you do anything until you tell me what happened."

She ground her teeth together in anger, yet still couldn't stop the tears. "Are you serious!? Look what I did!" She threw out her free hand referring to the mess. "I made my cousin cry, tried to kill Tess, almost got myself killed, and in the process got the shit kicked out of me! Not to mention the fact that Clark is the biggest ass I've ever met!" She snapped her mouth shut at the last comment that slipped from her mouth, hoping he wouldn't make more of it.

"What happened with the tower, Lois, and Tess wasn't your fault, and you know that. As for what happened with Tess I know better than most how slightly homicidal she is. And in a couple of weeks you'll be as good as new. No one is permanently hurt." Her tears had stopped, but her cheeks were still wet in their wake and her eyes watery. "And Clark?"

"Nothing," she said quickly and shook her head.

"You said it. What's the problem with Clark?" She kept her mouth shut tight though, refusing to say anything. "You do what you need to do to help him, but it doesn't make him always right. And contrary to what Clark said you don't always have to watch his back." He stepped forward hesitantly, knowing how uncomfortable she might get. "So tell me."

She turned her face away, blinking quickly, trying to fight the tears that were starting again, but it was pointless. "He just-" The tears were obvious in her voice and she hated it. She didn't want him to know how hurt she could be, she didn't want him to see her so broken. "It feels like he doesn't care. Ever since..." She couldn't bring up Jimmy's death. "He just hasn't been there. And I'm there, even when I don't agree. I don't expect much. I know better than anyone that he has responsibilities, but some concern would be nice. After all I've-" she cried and shook her head angrily. "After all I've done for him, lost, given up he has the nerve to tell me that he needed me to concentrate _more_ on watching his back?!"

She looked at him for a moment longer, eyes wide with the pain and anger that filled her words, and then looked away. For a time he was shocked into silence. Chloe was prone to outbursts. In fact she regularly told him exactly what he needed to do differently, but not necessarily such emotional ones. "We've all changed," he admitted, but quickly continued. "But I'm not sure why he has been like that Chloe. Have you tried talking to him?" She snorted at his question. "Is that a no?"

"I'm not talking to him about this. It doesn't matter."

Even through her hurt he could see her anger and resolve. Instead of pushing it and trying to reason with her he pulled at her wrist and stepped forward. She came willingly to his surprise and when he wrapped his free arm around her waist she allowed him to pull her against him. "I'm not going to try to talk you out of it and make you do something you don't want to. So if you don't want to talk to him that's fine. But don't let him make you think you aren't doing enough." He brought his hand up and cradled the back of her head so he could pull it against his chest. After placing a chaste kiss to her hair he tilted her head back and forced her to look at him. "And you don't have to hide it from me. Okay?" She nodded up at him teary eyed. "But I am going to make you stop working." She sighed and opened her mouth, but he shook his head. "That is non negotiable."

When he led her away she didn't fight him, even though everything in her told her to. And when he pushed open the door and ushered her to the bed she sat down with her shoulders slumped, hands resting in her lap. It wasn't until she sat that she felt the fatigue hit her and she found she didn't even have the energy to move again.

For a moment he just watched her, considering his next move. "Do you want me to stay?" She glanced up at him silently, seeming to think it over for a moment.

"It's up to you," she responded offhandedly and looked away again.

Which meant yes. When it came to the change in the category of their relationship when Chloe said no, well it was no. When she said maybe it was because she wanted to say yes, but she wasn't going to admit to it. It had taken him a short time to catch on, but eventually he just played along with her instead of trying to fight her for an honest response. Instead of saying anything he kicked off his shoes. She seemed to take the hint and laid on her side, pulling her knees up close to her chest. Her eyes were open, but she didn't appear to be looking at him, not even as he stripped off the rest of his clothing leaving him in only boxer briefs.

Chloe closed her eyes as she felt the bed move underneath him. The covers slid over her, shielding her from the cool air. And as his body slid behind hers and his arm draped over her waist she couldn't help a shaky sigh of relief. She had wanted him to stay too badly to admit and she couldn't help but be grateful that he must have realized that.

She arched slightly into him, and then remained still. Slowly, he slid a hand up her shirt, resting it just below her breasts on her ribs and settling his thumb on the inside of one satin covered breast. Under normal circumstances he would have preferred her sans the clothes, but at that moment he'd have to settle for the minimal physical contact.

It wasn't long before her sore body relaxed against him and sleep started to take her. "You didn't have to stay," she mumbled softly as she realized the oddity of the situation they had found themselves in. When he was in her bed or she in his it wasn't to sleep. They never slept unless it was after. Yet here he was, laying with her, just holding her.

"Yes I did; someone has to take care of you." Oliver rarely considered something a sure thing. He knew things could change at any second, but he'd seen what she would do for him, and he knew for sure that if he ever fell she would be there picking him up and dusting him off. Not only did she not have someone to do that for her, and not only did he owe it to her, but he wanted to be the one to do it.

She sighed contently, allowing herself a moment to take some satisfaction in his words and pretend that there was nothing wrong with them just sleeping, with the caring in his voice. As she drifted off to sleep the last thing she noticed was him pressing a kiss against her neck.


	2. Chapter 2

The one thing Chloe noticed upon waking was that it was still dark, so she couldn't have been sleeping long. Oliver wasn't against her back anymore, but she could feel his body brushing against hers. Carefully she turned onto her side to face him. He was on his stomach now, his head facing her, but his eyes closed. On closer inspection she noticed that the hand between them was grasping his phone on the pillow. With a roll of her eyes she gently pulled it from his hand and turned over to set it aside on her night stand. When she turned back to him he was rolling onto his back and rubbing his face. With a yawn his eyes opened and he turned to face her.

"What are you doing up?"

She shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

"Go back to sleep," he grumbled and rolled onto his side so that he could pull her body against his. She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. It wasn't until she started dragging her nails over the skin of his back did he find himself being pulled out of sleep. It was bad enough that he was already hard as a result of waking, it was even worse that she was pressing her body against him and running her hands over him. "How's your back?" he asked, hoping to distract himself from what he really wanted to do.

"Hurts a little," she lied. It actually hurt a lot.

He groaned softly as he recalled the wound. "Speaking from experience, I would imagine we need to clean it again and re-bandage it." She sighed in response, confirming his suspicion.

"I do need to shower," Chloe admitted. Her face felt gritty, still uncleaned from the makeup of the previous day. With a wince that she hid from him she pushed up off the bed.

Oliver watched her walk away from the bed and when she entered the bathroom she left the door open, the light shining through into the darkened bedroom. Then her shirt landed outside the door, followed by her bra. He groaned inwardly and flopped onto his back. With a sigh he pushed himself up and followed her into the bathroom. When he spotted her she was already pushing down her shorts, taking her panties with them. He watched her lean into the shower and turn on the water, his eyes scanning her bare body and settling on her back. "Let me get this off. Emil said it could get wet right?"

"Yeah," she replied. His hands touched her back and she froze, waiting. Slowly he pulled away the tape, and then the gauze, exposing her back to the cool air. When she heard him sigh she turned to look over her shoulder. "What?" He frowned and just shook his head. "Aren't you the one that said no one was permanently hurt?"

"You didn't tell me you had stitches," he responded firmly. "What the hell happened?"

"That table, well the top of it was glass. Cut straight through my jacket. Clark's wish had me so obsessed with protecting him I didn't even notice it until I used the green kryptonite."

That time he resisted the urge to sigh. Instead he settled for grinding his teeth together. What he wanted was someone to be angry at. He could have been mad at Tess, but Chloe had tried to shoot her, although he found that still didn't ease all of his anger towards his ex. He could have been angry at Clark, because it was Clark's selfish words which set Chloe off in the first place, but Clark hadn't known what he was doing, even if he was still being an ass when he said it. It felt like someone should hold the blame. Eventually he even started to blame himself for not being there the one time she practically gets herself killed. "Come on." He pressed his hand into her hip, urging her into the shower, and then stripped off his remaining clothing before stepping into the hot spray.

Chloe winced slightly as the water hit the wound and stung. Slowly the pain faded and she just stood there, hanging her head slightly. Oliver stepped in front of her and as he brushed her hair out of her face, forcing it under the water and behind her ears, she didn't stop him. Without even thinking about it she slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against the slick hardness of his chest, closing her eyes in content. His hands settled on her hips, holding her against him. She wasn't sure how long she stood there holding onto him, concentrating on the hot water hitting her back and his hands sliding over her hips, sides, back. Then eventually he grabbed her sides and forced her back, dropping a silent kiss onto her forehead. She washed in silence, scratching her nails over her scalp roughly, rubbing her face and eyes harshly, trying to wash away the tears and make up. Eventually after she was through and rinsed off he turned her to face the back of the shower and gently washed her sore back and the stitched wound.

As the warm spray washed the soap away he stepped forward, sliding his hands down her hips and dropping a kiss to her shoulder. She responded by leaning back against him, tilting her head back against his chest. From there he watched his hands slide over her stomach and up. Any idea about getting her bandaged up and back to bed fled his mind as he slid his palms over her breasts and she arched into them, thrusting her backside against him. Any common sense was gone after that and he was burying his face into her exposed neck, brushing his thumbs over her hardened nipples and cupping her breasts.

She thrust her hips back again, forgetting the pain in her back, Clark, and her run in with Tess and Lois as she felt him length of him hard and long against her. She cursed her short stature, wishing she could slide herself onto him. He grasped her hip suddenly, pulling her back sharply against him and his erection. His mouth continued to move along her neck sucking and biting at the tender skin. One hand took care to massage each breast, rolling her nipples in his fingers, pinching them when she least expected it. His other hand settled over her lower stomach, pressing her back against him, but never moving lower. "Ollie..."

That was all he needed to slip his hand lower and slide one finger between her folds, rubbing against her clit. She whimpered in response, pressing a hand against the shower wall in front of her and reaching behind her to grasp his neck. Oliver claimed her lips for the first time since he'd arrived, kissing her with all the hunger he'd felt for her before he had found out what had happened. The two days he had been gone had been miserable, filled with thoughts of her warmth, her body, her skin against his, being inside of her. He'd wanted to come back and convince her to stay with him for the weekend, no Clark, no one. Just keep her locked in the clocktower for himself.

As he slid two fingers into her she gasped into his mouth, whimpering as he moved them in and out of her, working her closer to her release. "Ollie please..." He thrust his fingers deeper inside of her and she sobbed softly as she dropped her head back against his chest. "I want _you._"

He winced at her plea. "I can't, not in here," he said roughly, fighting down his own growing need in response to what she asked. "Not with your back," he clarified. She was too short for him to take from behind while standing, and the only other way was to lift her up against the wall, but that would have involved pressing her against it, and he couldn't take that chance, no matter how much he wanted to do it. She whimpered, obviously displeased with his response.

"I don't care," Chloe said and stepped away from him. His hand fell away, leaving her aching for more. In response she grasped the back of his head, pulling him down to meet her lips, and forcing him to step forward as she stepped back against the wall.

When he felt her hand wrap around him he groaned, cursing her silently and thrusting towards her hand at the same time. Grabbing her hips roughly he pushed her back into the wall and stepped closer. She pressed closer to him, urging him on, and for a moment he considered wrapping his hands around her thighs, lifting her up, and enveloping himself in her heat. Instead he pulled away from her lips and lowered himself on one knee to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking on it gently and then biting down to release some of his annoyance at her insistence even though he was trying to be careful with her. She cried out and he smirked against her breast before sucking on it apologetically and pressing a kiss in the valley of her breasts.

She released a shaky breath as he trailed kisses down her stomach. She expected to feel his fingers on her again. Instead he grasped the under side of one knee and lifted it over his shoulder. It wasn't until he leaned down did she realize he had other intentions. Chloe dropped her head back against the tiled wall and grasped for support, one hand gripping the bar to the shower doors, and the other splaying against the side of the the shower. His tongue slid across the length of her slit and as she felt him thrust it into her she whined and grasped his wet hair.

Oliver grabbed both cheeks and held her close as he wrapped his lips around her clit. He ached to be inside of her, but not with her so close, whimpering and crying out above him, begging for her own release.

Chloe felt him rising beneath her, back straightening and pushing her up with her leg draped over his shoulder and his weight holding her against the wall until her toes barely brushed the floor of the tub up being held up by her leg on his shoulder and the force of him pressing her against the wall. She released his hair, grabbing at one of the shelves in the corner frantically as she tried to find leverage through the increasing pleasure. "Oh god, Oliver please." Her voice shook as she begged, and he sucked harder still, sliding a finger over her entrance and then thrusting in.

She bucked forward, but he held her hips in one hand as she slid another finger in, thrusting deeply and pulling on the little nub with his teeth.

Her back arched almost painfully as her orgasm hit her. Without even thinking she slammed her palm into the glass, causing the doors to rattle. She didn't care if they broke, not as she found her release. "Oh god!" It was intense and hard, forcing a cry from her and then his name was falling from her lips with a whimper.

As she quieted and her leg stopped flexing against his back he slowly placed it back on the ground and stood flush against her chest. His erection strained painfully against her stomach, wanting her even more at the feel of her flesh against him. Her eyes opened finally and he found himself staring into their green depths. A soft smile flittered across her lips and he couldn't help but drop his head and kiss her. Her lips weren't as demanding as his were, but he knew that would be easy enough to rectify. "Do you think I could convince you to get out of the cooling water?"

She sighed in content and nodded, turning to the shower doors and sliding them open as he shut off the water. As she stepped onto the rug she didn't pay much attention to the amount of water she was dripping, only wanting to get back to the bed before she collapsed

They dried off in silence, until he noticed her yawn, eyes closing as she did so. "You aren't going to sleep on me yet, Ms. Sullivan."

She couldn't help but grin as she draped the towel over the handle of the shower doors. "I wouldn't think of it."

"Go lay on the bed." He settled a hand on her hip and dropped a kiss to her bare shoulder. "We need to take care of your back."

She sighed at the reminder, frowning as she made her way back to the bed and the previous two days flooded back to her. As she crawled onto the mattress, laying on her stomach, she shut her eyes and tried to block out the events, yet they rushed back to her. All of them. The pleasure that Oliver had given her was overshadowed as she recalled the past couple of days again clearly. It was the weight of him next to her and his hand traveling up her back that drew her attention away.

"You know this might burn a little."

She grinned, even though she wasn't facing him. "I'm sure you'd love the chance to pay me back for all the times I took care of you."

He smirked, recalling the pleasure she took every time she had to tend to a wound, rolling her eyes and smirking every time he grimaced and exclaimed at her bad bedside manner. "I think I'll be careful, I'm sure you'd just return the favor in the future."

At first sting she arched her back involuntarily and he responded by wrapping a large hand around the side of her back that wasn't wounded, holding her in place. His thumb ran in soothing strokes over her back though, and she did her best to focus on that. In moments he was finishing up and taping a fresh bandage on her back.

"Done," he proclaimed as he ran his fingers over the tape one more time. She sighed softly, but didn't move. With the necessities out of the way he let his eyes roam her body for a different reason, remembering his erection, which was still prominent even though it had been a few minutes since their shower. When he trailed a hand over her backside she didn't stop him and as he slid a finger between her folds she arched, tipping her backside against his hand.

"Ollie..." she complained as he teased her, brushing over her entrance, but never filling her. His fingers brushed over her clit, then dipped just inside of her and she found herself arching into his hand, trying to take more of him inside of her, but he only pulled back, causing her to whine pitifully.

She was more than wet and ready, and for a moment he considered nudging her legs apart and sinking into her, but he knew he couldn't take her and have to look down on her bruised and wounded back. Grabbing her hips he rolled her over gently and crawled over her body, pushing a knee between her legs and then his other until she parted and wrapped her legs around him. "Are you okay on your back?"

"I'm not going to break." She shuddered as the length of him pressed against her core. She rolled her hips in response, seeking out the tip of him, grabbing his hips to urge him into the right position.

She said it, but for some reason it didn't ring true for him. Dropping his forehead against hers he looked down into her confused green eyes. "Then why does it feel like it?" he whispered painfully. Because it did. Seeing her bruised, and bloodied, her strength shaken, it put things into a new perspective for him. She was always there like this pillar of strength, and he had taken that for granted. Knowing now that she wasn't, he felt this uncontrollable urge to take care of her, keep her safe. Before she could ask him about it though, he pressed into her, sliding in deeply. The confusion left her eyes as he thrust into her. He watched her throw her head back, squeeze her eyes closed, keening softly. As her legs tightened around him he pushed inside of her harder, deeper, seeking to find more space to fill. She gasped silently in response, her eyes going wide and then released a small, choked sound. Oliver reached an arm around her waist, pulling her hips off the bed, and pushed in deeper.

Chloe wrapped her arms around his body, digging her nails into him, trying to find something to grab onto as she became used to the unfamiliar depth of him inside of her. As he slid out of her she sighed, her body relaxing from the release of the pressure of him inside of her but craving it still. She didn't realize she'd closed her eyes until his hand buried in the hair near her scalp and tugged at it.

"Look at me." Her eyes fluttered open and he dropped his forehead against hers again, holding just the tip of him inside her. She moaned softly, arching herself into him but he pulled back. "Chloe..." he said, his voice strained, and it wasn't from anything physical, it was the rush of emotions that he felt when around her, the ones that still lingered when he was gone. They were always there and they were becoming stronger.

His brow furrowed slightly and she forgot about the need coursing through her body for a moment. Sex with Oliver had always been free of emotion, or at least any deep emotion. Sex with him was fun, it was passionate, needy, sometimes a little rough, but never really emotional. At that moment though, she could see in his eyes that something was bothering him, and it was something to do with them. Hesitantly she slid one hand from his back and cradled his face in her palm, brushing her thumb over his cheek in a soothing gesture. When he turned his face into her palm and pressed a kiss to it her throat tightened at the gesture, and she couldn't help but realize that she felt just as conflicted as he looked. "What is it?" He turned his face again, his cheek resting against her palm. "Ollie?"

"You know what's going on between us...it's more than I expected." Her brow scrunched slightly, but she didn't pull away, of that he was grateful. "I can't keep going along like this and ignore that, and I don't think I can keep doing this if it isn't the same for you."

For weeks she'd been ignoring her growing affections for him. The attraction had always been there, strong and evident, but the real emotions, those had been more slow to grow. They had been easy to ignore when she assumed he wanted to keep it simple, but now that he was there, his naked body pressed against her, almost inside of her, baring it all, she couldn't ignore it any longer. "We both admitted that more then this would be difficult. You said yourself that the reason neither one of us were in a relationship was because things are different for people like us, that it couldn't happen."

"Easier to say when you don't have someone you think about night and day. We'll find a way to make it happen." She seemed hesitant at first and he prayed she wouldn't say no. "Okay?" He felt her thumb brush over his lips and then she nodded. After pressing a kiss to her thumb he grabbed her hand and pulled it away. There was an overwhelming urge to say something, but he could think of nothing. So he settled for pressing her hand into the pillow above her head, lacing his fingers with hers, and thrusting deeply inside of her, claiming her lips and muffling her cry at the same time.

They moved together slowly, taking much more time then they ever had. She would have assumed it wouldn't have been as intense as the times they came together hard and fast, yet some how it was even more. He held her hand above her head, pressing his own body flat against her own. When she cringed because of the pain that shot through her back he kissed her with an apology and wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her lower body off the bed, taking the weight off of her back. The result was him sinking even deeper. She dug her nails into his hair, whimpering as he continued to fill any available void inside of her. When she tried to pull at her hand, he squeezed his fingers around it, holding it in place. He never pulled fully out of her, his body never seperating from her own.

Close, he was too close. Dropping his head to her shoulder he shuddered, trying to hold out, but unable to make himself pause for even a second to regain his contol. Continuing to bury further inside, to satisfy the desperate need to be deeper inside of her. Every time he sunk into her she gasped, her hand squeezing in his, breasts straining against his chest. He was too hard, buried too immensely inside of her, and she was too wet and tight.

It seemed forever they moved like that, connected and feeling as one. She couldn't think, only move against him, meeting each short thrust. Then it hit her, slow at first, her body tensing. "Oh god, Ollie."

They hadn't been together long, but he recognized the different sounds of her voice and what they meant. Lifting her hips higher he raised his head again, and pushed into her harder, speeding up his thrusts, but never pulling more then halfway out and still pressing into her as deeply as humanly possible. Her nails dug almost painfully into his hand and back, but he barely noticed, only focused on finding her release and then his own.

It hit her suddenly and she was gasping for breath, then crying out underneath him, squeezing her eyes shut under the intensity. He thrusted harder and faster making her scream abruptly and then she felt his hand squeezing hers back and him groaning her name into her ear.

It was a miracle he was able to hold himself off of her body. When he felt as if he couldn't hold himself up any more he pressed a kiss to her lips and rolled onto his back. "Come here." She turned into his side willingly, snuggling against him and resting her head on his chest. "Stay off your back."

"You weren't telling me that before." Chloe teased, but draped a leg over him and laid her hand on his chest, fully intending on staying there. He pinched her side gently and she pinched his nipple with a smirk.

"Seriously though. How is your back." When she opened her mouth to respond he cut her off. "And don't lie to me. Part of this new arrangement means I have the right to know the truth about how you are doing."

She sighed. "It hurts. What do you want me to say?"

"Did Emil give you anything for it?"

"Yeah, some pain meds, but I didn't want to-" He was pushing her hand off of him and sitting up. "What are you doing?" She exclaimed, slightly affronted at the fact he was moving away from her.

"Where are they? The meds Emil gave you?"

"In the kitchen, but I don't-"

"Chloe, take them. Because tomorrow you are going to feel even worse. And if we're lucky they'll knock you out because you only slept two hours before." She was sitting up, and he knew she was gearing up to argue. "It isn't up for discussion."

"What?! You can't just-"

"Yes I can." He leaned over and settled his hands on either side of her body, bringing his face inches from her own. "When you said okay to this," he waved a hand between them, "you gave me the right to be overbearing. You're great at taking care of everyone else Chloe, but you suck at taking care of yourself, so let someone else do it."

She glared at him, but it didn't seem to faze him one bit as he stood up and walked away in his naked glory. Seconds later he returned with a glass in one hand and the other one in a loose fist. "I hate you."

"Fine," he said simply and sat on the edge of the bed. When he held his hand out to her, two pills in the palm of his hand, she spared him another glare before snatching them up and swallowing. "I thought I might have to hold your nose."

"Funny," she mumbled and grabbed the glass from him, chugging the water. He took the empty glass and sat it on the bed stand.

"How am I going to get this place back together if I'm loaded up on pain pills?"

"Please," he said as she stood up and moved around the bed to settle into it, "you are not going to be loaded." Despite her irritation with him she curled back against his side and took the same position that she had been in moments ago. "Besides," he brushed her blond hair from her forehead and pressed a kiss to it, "while you were sleeping earlier I called Victor and told him to move up his flight and I called the IT guy and made an appointment for tomorrow." She looked up at him with slight shock. "I know you wanted to take care of it, and normally I wouldn't fight you on this, but at least humor me and take it a bit easy for the next couple of days."

She recalled the phone that he had fallen asleep with in his hand and frowned. He sure was a sneaky bastard, and she was going to have to have a talk with him about his overbearing behavior. For now she decided to let it go, being too tired and worn out to care. "You won this battle."

He felt himself relax at her admission. When she settled her cheek back against his chest he rubbed her back thoughtfully, trying to figure out some way to make her understand. From what Oliver knew Chloe's serious relationships had been sorely limited. Davis, well Oliver didn't like to consider that one as anything that fell under the definition of relationship, and Jimmy, well even though they married the other man had no idea what Chloe's life had been like and couldn't have understood and been there for her like he should have. "I'm not trying to fight you Chloe. But if we are going to do this you have to understand that I do care about you, more than most. Which means that I'm going to want to make sure you're okay. And if that means putting my foot down so that you'll get some rest then I'm going to do it."

Her throat felt thick with emotion at his statement. It was an odd feeling, knowing that he would take care of her. Clark had for the longest time, saving her when she needed saving and telling her the hard things, even when she didn't want to hear them. But they were different people like Oliver had said, and there seemed to be so many things between them now. Clark didn't even know anymore when she needed someone, it wasn't second nature to him as it had been. Now here was Oliver, forcing her to step back from things, which was probably harder now than when it had been Clark's job. She'd grown more determined since Doomsday, refusing to back down, let anything get in her way. Then somewhere along the way came Oliver, throwing everything off balance. It felt like her life used to be, the ups and the downs, not the constant dull ache of emptiness that she had so recently become accustomed to. "Thank you."

He barely heard her whisper the words. Settling his hand under her chin he titled her face up. "You don't have to thank me. I told you I'm in this for more." She nodded in response, and he felt his chest constrict as her eyes began to tear up. Moving his face down he pressed a kiss against her lips. She responded back gently, her lips moving over his. They parted seconds later and she laid her head back down on his chest and nothing else was said. He held her as she drifted off to sleep, running his hand up and down her back, careful of the places that may hurt her. Taking care of Chloe was a full-time job, he already had two of them, but he wasn't going to let this one belong to someone else. And as he saw it she had her work cut out for her also he thought with smirk, because dealing with him was just as difficult.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes: Here is the last chapter. Hope everyone enjoys it.

* * *

"Chloe?"

Oliver's eyes shot open in surprise, not even really registering the name called out or the voice, instead throwing his hand out for a gun he knew wasn't there, making him realize quickly enough that he wasn't in his bed, but Chloe's. Clark. Cursing quickly he untangled himself from Chloe's body and jumped out of the bed, rushing around the barely lit room for his clothes.

"Chloe you here?"

"Fuck," Oliver whispered harshly. Not only did he not want Clark waking Chloe up because, luckily, she was still sleeping, but he was currently without any clothes and if Clark got curious enough he was going to walk in and get the shock of a lifetime.

He hurried out of bed, stumbling on the edge of the rug and cursing again.

"Chloe?"

"Shut the fuck up," Oliver said through gritted teeth and started scrambling for his clothes. Pants alone just wouldn't do; he had to at least appear dressed so that Clark wouldn't be suspicious. Even though he and Chloe had come to an understanding about a relationship, he was pretty sure she wouldn't be happy with Clark knowing. So he settled for the essentials. Pants, skipping the boxer briefs, shirt, disregarding the undershirt, and then shoes, minus the socks.

It was just as he was about to go searching for her that Oliver pushed open the doors into the tower, coming from the direction were Chloe actually lived in the tower. "Where's Chloe?"

"Sleeping," Oliver said simply, and fought the urge to tug on his shirt. His normally neat attire was slightly rumpled and he didn't even want to know what his hair looked like. Of course Clark didn't exactly have a subscription to GQ, so hopefully he wouldn't notice.

"I told her I was coming by in the morning," Clark said, but it came out more as a question than a statement. "Is something wrong?"

He started to say no, he honestly did. Because brushing things off, the things no one really wanted to talk about, was normal for all of them. Talking about the end of the world, dangerous villains, that was easy, but talking about real feelings, hurt feelings, that didn't happen often. So he almost said no, and if it had just pertained to just himself, he would have, but this time it didn't. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Is this about Tess? Chloe told you?" Clark began and stepped forward. "I'm sorry about that, I'm only glad Chloe showed up when she did."

"Tess?" Oliver asked, genuinely confused and shook his head. "Are you serious? This is about your best friend."

"Chloe?"

The total lack of understanding on Clark's face almost surprised Oliver, almost. "Yes Chloe." He didn't even want to get into the fact that Clark seemed to think that he would have been actually upset about what happened with Tess.

For a moment Clark paused before responding, trying to recall the previous days events to remember if something had happened to Chloe besides the effect of the Kryptonite. "She was fine. After the effects of the kryptonite was gone, we were all fine."

"Clark, she's not fine. You always think she's fine, that this kind of stuff just rolls off her back, well it doesn't." He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his cheek, making him wonder how put together he really looked. "It bothers her, and you don't even see it."

"Chloe knows she can come to me. I asked her after it was all over with. She said she was okay."

"Well she's not!" For a brief moment he stopped, cursing himself for his outburst and possibly waking Chloe up. Taking a few steps forward he closed some of the distance between himself and Clark. "Don't you think she tried to tell me everything was okay? Well I didn't listen. Sometimes you might actually have to try a little harder. Not only does she feel guilty about Lois and scared as hell that she almost lost her life fighting with Tess, but she's still trying to pull back together the watchtower because of your selfish wish." For a brief moment he regretted his last words, but someone had to say it, and if Chloe wouldn't then he would.

Clark narrowed his eyes in response to Oliver's words. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're serious, right?" Oliver laughed and turned away from Clark, taking a couple of steps away and then turning back to face him again. Holding out a hand at the other man he laughed again. "You really are serious aren't you?" Oliver shook his head in disbelief. "You want Chloe to look out for you more. You want a girl who has spent the majority of her life _looking_ out for you, to look out for you more. You want a girl who has been through things that no human being has ever been through, who has lost people close to her to protect you, who has had to hide things from her own family, to spend more time looking out for you? Are you serious Clark? Have you been exposed to too much kryptonite? Because here on Earth, we call that selfish."

"Do you think I wanted any of that? How many times have I tried to get Chloe out? How many times have I tried to stop her from getting involved? You brought her into this too," Clark snapped back and threw his hand out. "You enable her to do this. It's you and your money that enable her to stay cooped up in this tower all day long, never seeing the light of day."

Oliver wished he could have ignored Clark, he really did, denied everything he said, but there was some truth in it. Oliver had brought Chloe on board, putting her into more danger, getting her involved. And every piece of equipment in her tower was paid for with Queen money. "You're probably right, maybe we're both a bit at fault. But I'm allowing her to do what she wants to do. And as for the fact that she doesn't step out of here, don't act like I don't see that. Trust me Clark, I'm over here a lot more then you are, and I'm doing my best to fix it. Who do you think it was that forced her into bed last night Clark? I called Victor to get him out here today and scheduled an appointment with an IT guy to fix this mess. If I hadn't she would have been up all night."

"How am I going to know any of this unless she tells me?!" Clark exclaimed. "I don't know anything she does anymore. She hides things from me. I don't even know what she is thinking anymore."

"Talk to her for longer than five minutes to use her for information! And don't tell a girl who has willingly sacrificed her life for you that you need her to do more!" They stared at one another, a fight between wills, and for a moment Oliver thought Clark really might just hit him, then the fight seemed to leave him and he was walking past him.

"Tell Chloe I came by." Clark said evenly and headed the door.

As the double doors swung with his exit Oliver groaned and rubbed his face. It wasn't apparent yet if he'd made a bad situation better or worse, but something had to be said. Clark was blind to it, and Chloe just assumed it would go away. The last place Oliver wanted to be was in the middle, but they needed to work it out.

With a sigh he headed back to Chloe's room, unbuttoning his shirt as he went, fearing that she woke up. It wasn't until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room did he see her eyes open. She was still curled underneath the blanket, bare shoulders exposed, but now her green eyes were peering up at him. "Come on, let me have it. I know it's coming."

"I know you think you're doing the right thing for me, but you can't make all my decisions. I'm an adult last time I checked," She said softly. For a moment when she'd awoken to the outburst in the tower she had moved to dress, to go out and try to diffuse the situation. It was the total lack of understanding on Clark's part that stopped her. She couldn't bear to have that directed at herself.

"You're an adult that makes some bad decisions," Oliver countered and kicked off his shoes.

"So do you," Chloe responded a little more sharply. He was the last person that should have been talking about bad decisions.

He stopped from taking off his jeans and walked towards her, stopped at her side of the bend, and squatting down so that he was looking into her eyes. "And what did you do when you didn't like the bad decisions I was making?" He cocked an eyebrow and waited for her response. "Took matters into your own hands didn't you?"

"You wouldn't have listened," Chloe argued, but her voice didn't hold the conviction she had hoped it would. He wouldn't have, that she knew for sure, but that didn't make her decisions necessarily right.

"And neither would you," Oliver countered. When she didn't respond he took that as a sign that she at least partially agreed and stood up. As he rounded the bed he undid his jeans and kicked them off. Once he was settled behind her again under the covers, arm wrapped around her waist he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Chloe released a shuddered breath, relaxing into his hold at his admission. "No, it's okay." She was tired, too tired, at that moment to even work herself up to being annoyed with him. The last couple of days had been rough. Between Clark, Lois, Tess, and the sudden and unexpected change in her relationship with Oliver, she was exhausted. For the first time she just wanted to stay in bed and sleep for a week. "What time is Victor coming?"

"Should be here in about three hours." He heard her sigh. "Is it a problem?"

"I'm just tired," she admitted for what felt like the first time. She never admitted to being tired, but for some reason he made it so easy for her to admit to her weaknesses. At some point over the past twelve hours she had begin to believe that he would take care of the things she couldn't handle.

"You don't have to get up," he mumbled into her neck, already closing his eyes and relaxing against the soft, warmth of her body.

"Yes I do. Although Victor is more than capable, I need to make sure it's all back the way it was before."

"Then go to sleep now," he pressed a kiss behind her ear, "help Victor and then let me take you out of here."

"Oliver..." she started, but he gave her hip a firm squeeze.

"Staying cooped up in here isn't doing you any good. And as much as I hate to admit it, Clark was right about one thing. He said I enabled you to coop yourself up in here, shut out the world."

"You didn't-"

"I did. I gave you everything you wanted for the tower, allowed you to stay here, never having to go outside unless absolutely necessary. That's got to stop." He waited for a few moments, hoping to gauge her reaction, but she remained silent. "So after Victor leaves, shower, put on something decent, and at least let me take you somewhere for dinner."

She turned in his arms to stare up into his face, cocking an eyebrow in amusement. "Like a date?"

"Well," he slid his hand over her stomach to wrap around her ribs, "that was the plan."

"And other people? What if people notice?" It was only right to ask. They didn't go out in public together unless it was absolutely necessary. And if they went out once or twice to eat it could be shrugged off as friends if they kept their hands to themselves. But if it became a habit...and someone was a bit too affectionate in public, then people would know. People like Clark, Lois, and even Tess.

"That's up to you." He slid a hand over the underside of her bare breast. Her breasts weren't covered by the blanket, giving him full view of them now that she was lying on her back. It was hard, but he fought back the sudden urge that shot through his groin. Seducing her would have been no problem, except for the fact that she really did need to sleep. He had all night to do the things he really wanted to do.

"Do you want to?"

"Well I certainly don't want to be locked up in here with you all the time. What do you want?" She seemed to think it over for a bit, her eyes staring up into his, almost searching for something.

"My face..." Chloe reached up and touched her bruised cheek.

"Is fine." He pushed her hand out the way and cradled her cheek with his hand. "If it bothers you we don't have to, but I think you'd be fine."

It surprised her how anxious she was about going out with him in public. She was almost fearful of it. For a long time she had avoided going out, doing anything just for fun. Now he wanted to take her out, do things that normal couples did. It frightened and excited her at the same time. "Okay."

Her apprehension was obvious. Lowering his head he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. It was meant to be brief, but as usual it never remained that way. She was the one that deepened it, slipping her tongue passed his lips. For a moment he forgot himself, letting her pull him down over her body. Her hands were all over him, sliding over his chest and back, her body arching up against him, pressing her bare breasts against his chest. It was just as he considered sliding his leg between hers and parting them that he remembered his earlier decision. "Okay." He whispered against her lips and grabbed her hip to push her back down onto the mattress. "You are getting some sleep." He noted her sigh of disappointment and couldn't help but be slightly pleased with himself. "And then I'm taking you out tonight and when we get back, we have all night."

She couldn't help but smirk at his promise. "You promise?"

"Trust me." Oliver rolled onto his back and urged her to follow him. As she turned onto her side and propped her head on his chest he felt a renewed sense of need rush through him at the feeling of her naked body against him. "You won't be getting any sleep.


End file.
